Why do we wear make-up?

An internet debate has accused those wearing make-up of hiding their real looks. Consumer Correspondent Catherine Lillington
asks Birmingham women how much they spend on cosmetics and why they wear it.

Veronica McAleer, who teaches specialist make-up and hair at University College Birmingham

Some call it their “war paint” and others prefer a more subtle look, but us Birmingham women love our make-up.

Cash tills in the beauty department of city store Selfridges register an average transaction of £50 a pop.

And some women have told the Birmingham Mail how wearing cosmetics makes them feel more confident and glamorous.

A set of before and after photos showing the dramatic difference between a woman with and without make-up has recently triggered an on-line debate about cosmetics.

The images, posted by make-up artist Melissa Murphy, show a bare-faced woman with acne scars and shiny skin and then her transformation using make-up with thicker eyebrows and a flawless complexion.

Some internet users have dubbed make-up a “betrayal” because it masks a woman’s true self.

Veronica McAleer teaches specialist hair and media make-up at University College Birmingham and believes cosmetics work best to enhance someone’s natural features.

Veronica McAleer, who teaches specialist make-up and hair at University College Birmingham

With Oscar nominations for creating Judi Dench’s looks in Mrs Brown and Shakespeare in Love, as well as an Emmy for her work transforming Geoffrey Rush in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, she knows full well the power of make-up.

She made a prosthetic nose for Judi Dench, who she said has a “cute button nose” for her Shakespeare in Love role as Elizabeth I, who had an “aristocratic nose”.

“It worked really well and gave her a bit of gravitas,” she explains.

“In acting, a make-up transformation is really important because it does aid performance. It should never overtake your performance.

“Make-up is a tool, even in real life.”

Hiding yourself or boosting confidence?

Nicole Munns

* Student Nicole Munns
, aged 16, from Aldridge, spends up to about £20 a month on cosmetics.

She said: “It makes me feel more confident and you can look different if you put a different type of make-up on. Even a different eye-shadow could make you look different.

“It enhances what you want to look like. If somebody doesn’t like a feature of themselves they can hide it and make themselves look nicer.”

Kristina Dimitrova

* Student Kristina Dimitrova
, aged 21, from the Jewellery Quarter, also spends a maximum of £20 a month.

She said: “I use it to freshen my look up a little bit. I’m not wearing a lot of make-up at all on a night out.

“But how much make-up you wear depends on the person.”

Debbie Fitzgerald

* Police worker Debbie Fitzgerald
, aged 51, from Erdington, said she spends more on make-up than on clothes.

“It’s something I’ve always been interested in. I used to do theatre make-up in college and have done a little bit of bridal make-up for friends and family.

“I’m quite a feminist and quite well-educated. I don’t like to see people walking round in tracksuits, looking scruffy. I’d rather see someone looking glamorous with a full face of make-up.”

Helen Calcutt

* Writer Helen Calcutt
, aged 25, from Walsall, spends an average of £25 a month.

She said: “If you wear a bit to accentuate your features, which I try and do, it can give you confidence.

“But you shouldn’t be afraid to go bare-faced. I do three or four times a week.

“People can sometimes wear a bit too much and it does hide the natural beauty. Less is more.”